Mucilage for postage stamps. Dextrine 2 parts, acetic acid 1, water 5, alcohol 1. Mix all together.
Caseine mucilage. Take the curd of skim milk, wash it thoroughly, and dissolve it to saturation in a cold concentrated solution of borax.
Tragacanth mucilage. Powdered tragacanth 2 drachms, glycerine 12 drachms, water enough to make 20 ozs.
Put the tragacanth in a mortar with the glycerine, and then add the water. This will produce at once a mucilage of excellent quality.
Adhesive paste. Steep 4 ozs. of ordinary gelatine in 16 ozs. of water until it becomes soft, then dissolve it by the heat of a water bath, and while still hot pour into a mixture of 2 lbs. of good flour paste and 1 part of water. Heat the whole to boiling and when thickened remove from the fire. While cooling add 6 drachms of silicate of soda and stir the mixture with a wooden spatula. This preparation will keep good for an indefinite period, and is very adhesive. The addition of 2 drachms of oil of cloves is an improvement.
Fluid pastes. I. Gum arabic 10 lbs., sugar 2 lbs., nitric acid 1¾ ozs., water as required.
Dissolve the gum and sugar in the water, then add the acid and heat to the boiling-point. The resulting paste is liquid, does not mould, and dries to a transparent layer upon paper. It is especially suitable for flaps of envelopes, fine bookbinders’ work, etc.
II. Potato starch 10 lbs., water 5 quarts, nitric acid 8 ozs.
Mix the acid and water and pour it on the starch in an earthenware basin, put the latter in a warm place, and allow it to remain 24 hours, with occasional stirring. Then boil it until it becomes thickly-fluid and very transparent. If necessary it should be diluted with water and filtered through a cloth.
Sugar and lime paste. Dissolve 12 parts of white sugar in 36 of water. Heat the solution to the boiling-point and add 3 parts of slaked lime. Allow the liquid to stand in a covered vessel for several days, stirring frequently and, when settled, pour off the supernatant thick fluid from the excess of lime.